A JAZZ piano legend, John Horler, will be paying tribute to another, Bill Evans, in this special live masterclass taking place at Richard Huish College in Taunton.

This is a fantastic opportunity to see one of Britain's most acclaimed and cherished jazz pianists playing and talking about the music he loves.

John Horler and his trio will be paying homage to Bill Evans, his music, and the magic of the ground-breaking trio, around 60 years on from the recording of the seminal album Sunday at the Village Vanguard on Riverside Records.

GYA Taunton’s Head of Centre, Rachael Parvin said: “We are proud to present the John Horler Trio on their only Somerset stop during their southwest tour.

“They’ll also be performing in Totnes, Dartmouth, Newton Abbot, Bideford, and St Ives.

“The event in Taunton promises to be extremely interesting for music lovers of all ages, as John and his musicians will discuss how a jazz trio works and de- and re-construct the music of Bill Evans.”

Accompanist and musical director for Dame Cleo Laine for 20 years and a former member of Sir John Dankworth’s bands, John Horler has performed with a ‘who’s who’ of modern jazz - household names like Art Farmer, Chet Baker, Zoot Sims, Maynard Ferguson, Tony Coe, Ronnie Ross, Pete King, Kenny Wheeler, and Tommy Whittle.

John Horler started studying at the Royal Academy of Music at the precocious age of sixteen and has since earned a formidable reputation on the British jazz scene over many years.

Working his way up through pub gigs and appearances on BBC’s Jazz Club, becoming a successful session musician and regularly supporting American jazz stars, John Horler is now a highly respected pianist and composer whose music can be found on Diving Duck Recordings.

John Horler will be joined in the masterclass by bassist Ron Phelan and drummer Ronnie Jones.

Ron Phelan studied bass in Dublin before moving to the UK.

He has worked with some of the best musicians and performers in the country touring both nationally and internationally in projects ranging from jazz ensembles to large scale theatrical productions.

He currently lives in the South West of England where he divides his time between performing and composing.

Ronnie is an in-demand session jazz drummer and percussionist with appearances on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, and S4C.

He has toured the region with leading British jazz musicians and has performed at the Welsh Proms, the National Eisteddfod and Brecon Jazz Festival.

The event will take place on Saturday, June 11 at 1pm.

Venue: Guildhall Young Artists Taunton, c/o Richard Huish College, South Road, Taunton TA1 3DZ.

Tickets: £20 on the door (cash/card). Book in advance by email/phone: gyataunton@gsmd.ac.uk 07754217993.